We can’t read a deer’s mind to know exactly how it reacts to various odors but it’s clear that we don’t have to get to zero human odor in
order to avoid spooking deer. That’s good because zero human odor is pretty much an impossible goal. So, while it’s not possible to
entirely eliminate human odor, it is possible to reduce your odor to the point where deer do not spook from the scent. They may believe the
human is far away or perhaps have long since left the area but it is possible to keep your scent to a level where its faint enough that they
won’t panic.
Another thing to consider is that not all odors spook deer and an odor that spooks one deer may not worry another. An example is diesel
fuel. I’ve heard it said many times, ‘Don’t wear your hunting clothes while filling up your gas tank.’ That would seem to make sense but on
the other hand, I know guys that use diesel fuel as a cover scent because deer in their area do not associate diesel fuel with danger. They
are used to smelling diesel from the non-threatening farm equipment that they regularly encounter. Although there are other scents that
deer associate with danger, the main one seems to be human sweat. One of the main places that sweat is generated and spread around
is from the palms of your hands. One of the biggest things to do to control your scent is to spray your hands with a scent absorbing
spray. Do it repeatedly. Spray your hands before you touch your equipment. Spray your hands before you put your hunting
clothes on. Spray your hands again before you touch your tree. Etc., etc. Spray your hands multiple times each day. Did you drive to
your spot? Then you must have touched the steering wheel of your vehicle, so spray your hands. When is the last time you sprayed or
washed the handle of your bow case? SPRAY YOUR HANDS!
order to avoid spooking deer. That’s good because zero human odor is pretty much an impossible goal. So, while it’s not possible to
entirely eliminate human odor, it is possible to reduce your odor to the point where deer do not spook from the scent. They may believe the
human is far away or perhaps have long since left the area but it is possible to keep your scent to a level where its faint enough that they
won’t panic.
Another thing to consider is that not all odors spook deer and an odor that spooks one deer may not worry another. An example is diesel
fuel. I’ve heard it said many times, ‘Don’t wear your hunting clothes while filling up your gas tank.’ That would seem to make sense but on
the other hand, I know guys that use diesel fuel as a cover scent because deer in their area do not associate diesel fuel with danger. They
are used to smelling diesel from the non-threatening farm equipment that they regularly encounter. Although there are other scents that
deer associate with danger, the main one seems to be human sweat. One of the main places that sweat is generated and spread around
is from the palms of your hands. One of the biggest things to do to control your scent is to spray your hands with a scent absorbing
spray. Do it repeatedly. Spray your hands before you touch your equipment. Spray your hands before you put your hunting
clothes on. Spray your hands again before you touch your tree. Etc., etc. Spray your hands multiple times each day. Did you drive to
your spot? Then you must have touched the steering wheel of your vehicle, so spray your hands. When is the last time you sprayed or
washed the handle of your bow case? SPRAY YOUR HANDS!
Your body: Wash yourself with a proper hunting scent
free soap. Many hunting soaps leave a residue behind
that kills bacteria, which definitely helps hold off body
odor for a while after use. It’s really the bacteria breaking
down your sweat etc, which creates the deer spooking
odor. Regular soap does not kill bacteria for an extended
period of time and usually contains fragrances as well.
Use a hunter’s underarm deodorant like Scent Shield. I
started using Biowild when it came out last year and it
really works. You spray Odor Block on your pits, the
center of your chest and any other odor producing areas
like the backs of your knees. It lasts for days slowing
down the perspiration and any related odors. Foot odor
block is probably an even more important product which
significantly dampens down foot odor and sweat. Dust
yourself down, especially your crotch with Hunters Edge.
It’s also good to rub some through your hair. Hair is
another place that generates and holds lots of odor. Avoid
spicy, smelly foods, excessive alcohol, garlic, beans,
etc. Before heading into the woods, start chewing a piece
of Gum-o-flage, a regular mild gum, or eat an apple to
get rid of odors from your breath.
free soap. Many hunting soaps leave a residue behind
that kills bacteria, which definitely helps hold off body
odor for a while after use. It’s really the bacteria breaking
down your sweat etc, which creates the deer spooking
odor. Regular soap does not kill bacteria for an extended
period of time and usually contains fragrances as well.
Use a hunter’s underarm deodorant like Scent Shield. I
started using Biowild when it came out last year and it
really works. You spray Odor Block on your pits, the
center of your chest and any other odor producing areas
like the backs of your knees. It lasts for days slowing
down the perspiration and any related odors. Foot odor
block is probably an even more important product which
significantly dampens down foot odor and sweat. Dust
yourself down, especially your crotch with Hunters Edge.
It’s also good to rub some through your hair. Hair is
another place that generates and holds lots of odor. Avoid
spicy, smelly foods, excessive alcohol, garlic, beans,
etc. Before heading into the woods, start chewing a piece
of Gum-o-flage, a regular mild gum, or eat an apple to
get rid of odors from your breath.
Boots: Boots really fall under the
clothes category, but they are such
a special problem that they warrant
some specific discussion. As we
step down, our boots give off a puff
of air, rich with all the odors of our
feet. That could be a problem
couldn’t it? Don’t wear your hunting
boots to do anything but hunt.
Store them thoroughly dusted down
with Hunters Edge. Spray them
down with scent free spray before
heading out. Dust down your feet
with Hunters Edge and if
necessary, take it up a notch and
spray your feet down with foot odor
block from Biowild. It lasts for
almost two weeks before you need
to reapply. Before heading into the
woods, spray your boots with a
little cover scent such as fall
essence or fox or coon urine.
Your Tree: Assuming you’re a tree
stand hunter, you need to be
careful of leaving scent on and
leading to your tree. To climb up
we end up touching the ladder, the
steps, the tree, etc. Again, the
biggest thing is to spray down your
hands before touching anything.
You should have a small bottle of
scent free spray in your pack and
use it. If you leave your funky
human odor trail leading to your
tree and up to your stand then not
only during your hunt but long
afterwards, all night long, even
while your curled up in bed, your
lingering scent trail is warning every
deer that passes by to steer clear.
Worse, if they detect human odor
more than once in that spot, it will
take a long time before they are
comfortable in that area again.
clothes category, but they are such
a special problem that they warrant
some specific discussion. As we
step down, our boots give off a puff
of air, rich with all the odors of our
feet. That could be a problem
couldn’t it? Don’t wear your hunting
boots to do anything but hunt.
Store them thoroughly dusted down
with Hunters Edge. Spray them
down with scent free spray before
heading out. Dust down your feet
with Hunters Edge and if
necessary, take it up a notch and
spray your feet down with foot odor
block from Biowild. It lasts for
almost two weeks before you need
to reapply. Before heading into the
woods, spray your boots with a
little cover scent such as fall
essence or fox or coon urine.
Your Tree: Assuming you’re a tree
stand hunter, you need to be
careful of leaving scent on and
leading to your tree. To climb up
we end up touching the ladder, the
steps, the tree, etc. Again, the
biggest thing is to spray down your
hands before touching anything.
You should have a small bottle of
scent free spray in your pack and
use it. If you leave your funky
human odor trail leading to your
tree and up to your stand then not
only during your hunt but long
afterwards, all night long, even
while your curled up in bed, your
lingering scent trail is warning every
deer that passes by to steer clear.
Worse, if they detect human odor
more than once in that spot, it will
take a long time before they are
comfortable in that area again.
Equipment: Frequently spray
down your equipment with an
odor absorbing spray. Spray
your hands before touching
your equipment. One thing to
be careful of is the residue that
the sprays leave behind. Don’t
leave a layer of it on your arrow
or arrow rest or it may well
make noise when you draw.
Other than that, give everything
a good coating. I believe lots of
guys are betrayed by their
backpacks. We are constantly
touching the stuff in our packs
with our bare hands. The rope
we carry to haul up our bows
etc has been run through our
fingers over and over again,
collecting more and more odor
each time. Does your sheathe
have little bits of dried blood,
meat, guts, etc. from deer gone
by? Mine does, no matter how I
try to clean it afterwards. Once
again, scent free powder,
specifically Hunters Edge is
our best friend. Sprinkle some
in your pack every hunt or two.
Once in a while, dump out the
powder that has accumulated
at the bottom of your pack.
Sprays can only work on the
surfaces that they hit. The
powder works its way into
everything and is perfectly
suited to descent your pack.
When I dig in my pack, puffs of
powder waft out and I know no
deer will be able to pick up any
scent coming from it.
down your equipment with an
odor absorbing spray. Spray
your hands before touching
your equipment. One thing to
be careful of is the residue that
the sprays leave behind. Don’t
leave a layer of it on your arrow
or arrow rest or it may well
make noise when you draw.
Other than that, give everything
a good coating. I believe lots of
guys are betrayed by their
backpacks. We are constantly
touching the stuff in our packs
with our bare hands. The rope
we carry to haul up our bows
etc has been run through our
fingers over and over again,
collecting more and more odor
each time. Does your sheathe
have little bits of dried blood,
meat, guts, etc. from deer gone
by? Mine does, no matter how I
try to clean it afterwards. Once
again, scent free powder,
specifically Hunters Edge is
our best friend. Sprinkle some
in your pack every hunt or two.
Once in a while, dump out the
powder that has accumulated
at the bottom of your pack.
Sprays can only work on the
surfaces that they hit. The
powder works its way into
everything and is perfectly
suited to descent your pack.
When I dig in my pack, puffs of
powder waft out and I know no
deer will be able to pick up any
scent coming from it.
Clothes: Wash your hunting clothes with a proper scent free
hunting soap. Regular laundry soap usually contains
fragrances and UV brighteners that will work against you.
Before you move your clothes from the washer to the dryer,
spray your hands with scent free spray. It’s best to hang your
clothes to dry outside where they won’t pick up unnatural
odors. If you have to use a dryer remember that dryers suck air
from your house, heat it and blow it through your clothes. That
means all the odors in your house are attaching themselves to
your clothes as the dryer runs.
Once your clothes are dry, spray your hands before touching
your clothes and pack them away. There are two ways to go at
this point. You could try to keep your clothes as scent free as
possible or you could add cover scents to your clothes. I pack
my clothes with Hunters Edge scent absorbing powder, going
the scent free route. I feel it’s best to try and absorb every
scent molecule possible until I go hunting. Puffs of powder and
dust billow off of me as I get dressed but the scent absorbing
powder has permeated my clothes making them more scent
absorbing than any carbon suit ever made. Lots of hunters will
pack their clothes with cover scents, either natural scent from
acorns, leaves, branches, etc. thrown in with the clothes or
using a purchased cover scent like earth scent or fall essence
etc. I can’t say they’re wrong but as I said I try to keep scent
free as much as possible and only add cover scents when I’m
about to hunt. Pack your clothes as air tight as possible until it’
s time to hunt. Garbage bags shouldn’t be used to store your
clothes because they give off a pretty strong petroleum odor. I
use Rubbermaid type totes with thin foam weather strip around
the top. Once scent free powder has been in them awhile, they
don’t give off the plastic or petroleum smell that they do initially.
hunting soap. Regular laundry soap usually contains
fragrances and UV brighteners that will work against you.
Before you move your clothes from the washer to the dryer,
spray your hands with scent free spray. It’s best to hang your
clothes to dry outside where they won’t pick up unnatural
odors. If you have to use a dryer remember that dryers suck air
from your house, heat it and blow it through your clothes. That
means all the odors in your house are attaching themselves to
your clothes as the dryer runs.
Once your clothes are dry, spray your hands before touching
your clothes and pack them away. There are two ways to go at
this point. You could try to keep your clothes as scent free as
possible or you could add cover scents to your clothes. I pack
my clothes with Hunters Edge scent absorbing powder, going
the scent free route. I feel it’s best to try and absorb every
scent molecule possible until I go hunting. Puffs of powder and
dust billow off of me as I get dressed but the scent absorbing
powder has permeated my clothes making them more scent
absorbing than any carbon suit ever made. Lots of hunters will
pack their clothes with cover scents, either natural scent from
acorns, leaves, branches, etc. thrown in with the clothes or
using a purchased cover scent like earth scent or fall essence
etc. I can’t say they’re wrong but as I said I try to keep scent
free as much as possible and only add cover scents when I’m
about to hunt. Pack your clothes as air tight as possible until it’
s time to hunt. Garbage bags shouldn’t be used to store your
clothes because they give off a pretty strong petroleum odor. I
use Rubbermaid type totes with thin foam weather strip around
the top. Once scent free powder has been in them awhile, they
don’t give off the plastic or petroleum smell that they do initially.
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